Virtual Reality comes to the Canadian Museum of Nature with North American Premiere of First Life

Virtual Reality comes to the Canadian Museum of Nature with North American Premiere of First Life

Ottawa, March 24, 2017—The Canadian Museum of Nature is set to go virtual with the North American premiere of a unique cinematic production, First Life.

Starting the evening of March 23, visitors can immerse themselves in the Cambrian Oceans of 540 million years ago when significant life first appeared on Earth. With Samsung Gear VR technology, the 10-minute immersive experience lets viewers interact with extinct sea creatures that are brought vividly to life. The program continues until June 4.

First Life is narrated by acclaimed British broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough. Using top paleontological research and state-of-the-art computer technology, viewers can have a 360-degree interaction with extinct marine creatures: the five-eyed Opabinia, the fearsome-looking Anomalocaris and the spiny, worm-like Hallucigenia. The content was produced by Alchemy VR.

“As a museum, we are always searching for new ways of telling stories to people, and this production helps achieves that,” says Ailsa Barry, the museum’s Vice-President of Experience and Engagement. “People’s appetites for experiences are also changing, so the partnership with Samsung Canada lets us explore new ways of using technology to engage and inspire visitors.”

With this production, the Canadian Museum of Museum becomes the first national museum to feature a VR program for visitors. The movie’s computer generated imagery was created by the Emmy-award winning team at ZOO VFX, and the production has received prestigious digital awards, including the World Summit Award and the Museum & Heritage Awards for innovation.

“We are thrilled to provide our industry-leading Gear VR technology to the Canadian Museum of Nature to enable visitors to see the museum through a new lens and get closer to First Life with this immersive virtual reality experience,” said Philippe Lozier, Vice President of Content and Services, Samsung Electronics Canada.

“We’re delighted to partner with the Canadian Museum of Nature to bring David Attenborough’s First Life VR to Canada,” says Anthony Geffen, CEO at Atlantic Productions and Alchemy VR. “Virtual Reality offers institutions like the museum an unparalleled ability to transport visitors back to these ancient oceans in a completely immersive way, and the experience inspires viewers to engage in the natural world and its past through ground-breaking technology.”

First Life will premiere in the museum’s fossil gallery mezzanine on March 23 at 5:30 pm. This unique VR offering will run on Thursday evenings and on weekend afternoons until June 4. (For showtimes, visit nature.ca). Tickets to First Life are $6 each (in addition to regular museum admission). Participants must be 13 years of age or older. Maximum 15 people per show.

The Museum is located at 240 McLeod St. Follow the museum on Twitter (@museumofnature), Instagram (museumofnature and at facebook.com/canadianmuseumofnature.

About the Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences. The museum provides evidence-based insights, inspiring experiences and meaningful engagement with nature's past, present and future. It achieves this through scientific research, a 14.6 million specimen collection, education programs, signature and travelling exhibitions, and a dynamic web site, nature.ca.

About Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc.
Samsung Electronics Canada inspires Canadians to reach their full potential through a transformative ecosystem of products and services that deliver innovation and distinct design to every aspect of their connected lives. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, virtual reality and wearable devices, tablets and digital appliances. In 2016, Samsung was ranked in the top 10 most reputable brands in Canada, based on a study by Leger. Dedicated to helping make a difference in the lives of Canadians, Samsung's award-winning Hope for Children corporate giving initiatives supports public education, sustainability and health-related issues in communities across the country. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com. Follow Samsung Canada at facebook.com/SamsungCanada, or Twitter @SamsungCanada